FIVE CASED PAIRS OF MEXICAN DRESSED FLEAS OR PULGAS VESTIDAS

FIVE CASED PAIRS OF MEXICAN DRESSED FLEAS OR PULGAS VESTIDAS

EARLY 20TH CENTURY

each as a couple in Mexican folk costume, one probably dressed for a wedding, each in a small paper case and outer cover (5)

each case 6 x 8mm approx

Catalogue Note

Mexican Dressed Fleas, or Pulgas Vestidas, were probably originally made by Mexican nuns as a way of subsidising the income of the convent. However, the practice soon spread into the wider community and eventually became a novelty aimed at the tourist market. Usually modelled as a bride and groom, the tableaux sometimes feature a farming scene or occasionally a full mariachi band with their instruments.

Similar sets of dressed fleas can be found at the Museum of Natural History at the University of Oxford and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh.